Medieval Metaverse

Monetizing The Metaverse

Nat Rubio-Licht | Patent Drop | 27th April 2023

The US Patent Office is where the future gets distributed first, so Patent Drop is always unreasonably interesting. In this edition: Facebook's plan to turn VR into an infinite ad-tracker; Nvidia's plan to make chatbots chattier; Oracle's plan for AIs that format data for AIs; Google's plan to smash its own glasses; and Amazon's plan for an Alexa that calms you down when it thinks you are angry (1,850 words)

Want more? For the cost of one cup of coffee a month you can get the Browser's five article recommendations every weekday (plus audio and video) and our Sunday Supplement with puzzles, crosswords, book reviews, art and more.

When Policy Goes Medieval

Tim Harford | 27th April 2023

In medieval times an accused criminal might face trial by ordeal — they might be forced to pick up a red-hot iron bar, for example, the severity of their burns being the measure of their guilt. We don't do that any more, but we do test applicants for state benefits with lesser ordeals such as arbitrary delays, endless form-filling, and social stigma. Might it not be more productive just to help them? (940 words)